Ketamine a quick and low-cost fix for people with suicidal thoughts, battling depression
- Malathy Iyer
- TNNUpdated: Sep 15, 2024, 12:53 IST IST
Dr Nilesh Shah, who heads the psychiatry department at Mumbai's Sion Hospital, said that when a young man, Manish (name changed), with suicidal thoughts walked in some years ago and sought their help, they decided that he would be an ideal candidate for what was then a new practice in the BMC-run public hospital: mix 2ml of ketamine in 300ml of orange juice and have the student consume it over a 45-minute period.
As ketamine is a regulated substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), the hospital first summoned Manish’s local guardian from Thane to sign an informed consent and procure a ketamine vial costing approximately Rs 60 using a prescription that had been filled in triplicate, as is the protocol for Schedule H drugs.
As ketamine is a regulated substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), the hospital first summoned Manish’s local guardian from Thane to sign an informed consent and procure a ketamine vial costing approximately Rs 60 using a prescription that had been filled in triplicate, as is the protocol for Schedule H drugs.
